President Rupiah Banda has ended his three-day official visit to Turkey where he held meetings with Government officials and wooed some key investors, including Turkish Airlines, which will soon launch a flight into Lusaka.
President Banda who was in Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, said the visit was successful and hoped that Turkish businessmen that have shown interest in Zambia would soon start investing in the country.
Mr. Banda said Turkey was a strategic country as one of the emerging market economies, which was rated among the top 15 in the world and the sixth largest in Europe .
This according to a media statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today, by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere.
During the three-day visit, President Banda held official talks with Mr. Gul in Ankara before flying to Istanbul where meetings with the Turkish Business forum were held.
The focus of the visit was to capitalise on the warm relations between Zambia and Turkey in order to establish conditions for development of economic ties through bilateral cooperation and the promotion of trade and investment in the two countries.
President Banda said he was happy that during his visit to Turkey , the two governments signed key agreements which will be followed up by others in areas of mutual interest in the near future.
A bilateral agreement on Air Services was signed, followed by two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Foreign Service Training and on Political Consultation between the two governments.
Mr. Banda said “The Air Services Agreement” would among other things; provide for Turkish Airline flights into Zambia and similarly Zambian airline companies will fly to Turkey . The MoU on Political Consultation provided for consultation between the Governments (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) on bilateral and international issues.
And the one on Diplomatic Training provided for cooperation between Zambia and Turkey in the field of diplomatic training as well as for cooperation between the respective diplomatic training institutions.
President Banda said he was also happy to have officiated at the first-ever Turkey-Zambia Trade and Investment Forum, which was held in Istanbul on 14th July 14, 2010 at which 11 Zambian business executives were present. The Forum resulted in the establishment of business contacts for future collaboration and was also attended by several Turkish businessmen and women who showed interest in investing in Zambia .
Mr. Banda assured the investors that their investment would be protected in Zambia and announced immigration measures, which would allow Turkish investors and tourists to obtain visas at the point of entry in Zambia as opposed to applying through Zambian embassies which he said was cumbersome.
The President said he would like to see more Turkish tourists coming to Zambia following the soon-to–be launched direct flight from Istanbul to Lusaka .
Turkey has the World’s 15th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and 17th largest Nominal GDP.The World Bank classifies Turkey as an upper-middle-income country in terms of the country’s per capital GDP in 2007 and is a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G20 major economies.
President Banda said his focus was to attract investors from country’s like Turkey and Brazil as leading emerging market economies in the World.
The President was accompanied to Turkey by Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande, Energy and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Peter Daka and Deputy Minister in the office of the Vice-President Guston Sichilima.
President Banda who left Turkey this morning is expected back in the country today.
ZANIS
Tour or visit?
Trade agreements that are just paper without any meaningful obligations.
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“WOUNDS”??? Seriously LT!
Rainy Day#3 LT is jus full of N.O.N.S.E.S !
NEXT WEEK there will be African Union summit in Kampala, Uganda. So RB will be in Zambia as usual for a short time, then he travels to Uganda.
More on the AU summit, just google “african union summit in Uganda 2010”. you will see. 19-27 July 2010. RB cannot miss this one. I am sure he carry with him again a bunch of ministers, Kapembwa Simbao being one of them.
From AU summit, RB will come back and go for MMD campaigns in Chifubu and Luena Constituencies. When he deals with issues in the “pending basket” in his office, no one knows, even himself does not know. He is too busy to be a president of Zambia.
So useless our RB! He needs to go back to his foreign minister days tbh. He is not a president. Anyway, why cant Zambia have a Prime Minister to deal with all these issues? RB is enjoyin while his term lasts and at a great cost to Zambia while we see our neighbours (including Zim) doing all to get their countries up and running!
C.H.I.K.A.L.A. Mpombo must read this-Turkey has the World’s 15th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and 17th largest Nominal GDP.The World Bank classifies Turkey as an upper-middle-income country in terms of the country’s per capital GDP in 2007 and is a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G20 major economies
Welcome back home, Mr President. We wish to report that when you were away the usual rubbish in your country continued, e.g. that you flew in your challenger jet to Jburg to watch the world cup on your way to Turkey. The Post has attempted to cleanse itself but it is failing miserably because theirs is a written word and we can always refer back to their recorded rubbish, which passed as news for many Zambians who chose to be stupid and imbecile. Sorry for the language Mr President, but there is no better expression for the nonsense in your country.
******=s.tupi.d
Safe trip Mr. President get more air miles
Would one be considered insane if they stated that Zambian presido and his pack of kandilez believe that Zambia has no oomph to develop on her own without other nation’s money? What is this pursuit of foreign investment telling the world?
We cant wait for your visit to zambia…!
Turkish investors and tourists to obtain visas at the point of entry in Zambia as opposed to applying through Zambian embassies… Will Zambian tourists also get visas at the point (port) of entry in Turkey?
Mr RB is using the oppotunity of being a presidente to visit many country not for any reason, if we count the days he has stays in the country ever he came into power are lesser , of the time he is outof the country lets hope he does not forget to take the snaps kaili efyo afwaya………….in the history of zambia its our first time zambia without a president.